


The Good, The Bad, And The Dirty

by hirusen



Series: Liam Deklon: Assassin Of The Light [3]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Crimson Days (Destiny), Destiny Exotics, Developing Relationship, Eating Together, Enemies to Lovers, Established Relationship, Face Reveal, First Meetings, Food, Friendship/Love, Getting to Know Each Other, Hugs, Kissing, Language, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-The Last Word Quest, Sleep Deprivation, Tension, The Tower (Destiny), Threesome - M/M/M, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-06 02:08:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17930789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hirusen/pseuds/hirusen
Summary: He was just wanting to spend some time alone with Drifter while he was able to sneak away from hosting Gambit matches; he wasn't expecting to have a surprise guest show up.





	The Good, The Bad, And The Dirty

Liam giggled to himself as he nearly skipped up to the meeting place he had set up with Drifter a few weeks ago. It was currently the start of the Crimson Days, a holiday where Guardians come together and spend time with their close friends or loved ones, and celebrate those relationships by kicking the shit out of each other in the Crucible. It also meant that people were more interested in hitting up the Crucible than playing Gambit, and that meant Drifter could sneak away for a little while. "Such a lovely sight to greet me." Drifter purred as he approached, his hand sliding up over Liam's ass before settling on the small of his back, the Hunter leaning against one of the small walls at the end of the concrete catwalk, moving his head to the right with a smile on his lips.

"Glad to know I'm easy on the eyes." He teased, leaning into the kiss Drifter planted on his lips, reaching up to cup his cheek. There was a shared laugh as Liam shifted, Aiden spawning a small box into his hands. "I thought you'd like a treat that wasn't me." "Hey, aren't these..." Opening the box, he saw that these were the same dark chocolate Motes that Liam and countless other Guardians had given him during The Dawning (though he only kept the ones Liam gave him). "How did you even make these?" "I used some of the same ingredients that I found during The Dawning, but it took some guess work on how long to bake them in an oven that wasn't Eva's." How he said that made Drifter think he may have been testing those batches and it may not have always ended well.

"...Shit, now I feel like an ass for not getting you something." Liam chuckled. "You already have; I get to spend some alone time with you during Crimson Days. I know how busy you are, and I don't think you'd ever want to go a couple of rounds in the Crucible with me as my Crimson Bond, but that doesn't mean I can't still call you that and spend a couple of hours with you." He explained and Drifter's smirk looked a little softer than it normally does. He wrapped his arm around Liam's shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Ass." They settled down on the large blanket Liam had already laid out at the edge of the catwalk.

They were pretty high up in the Tower; someone would have to purposefully seek them out to get all the way up here.  _'Cautious, o bearer mine, for you have an uninvited guest...'_ He heard the Ahamkara that he's been close with for nearly all of his life as a Guardian warn, having been wearing his Young Ahamkara Spine gauntlets at the moment, and he whipped his head around and sure enough, there was someone else on the platform. A hunter, one that had Drifter tensing up upon seeing him. "Shit!" If that didn't confirm who Liam thought the man was, nothing will. Quickly scrambling to their feet, Liam set himself between the Man With The Golden Gun and Drifter, one arm spread to shield the older Lightbearer, the other resting on his Hand Cannon, ready to start a gunfight.

"...I see you've put it to good use." Shin Malphur's voice was husky and rich, but not as deep as Drifter's (he didn't sound the same at all from the audio Aiden had found when Liam had found the remains of Callum), Liam guessing that his eyes were either on his gun or had at least flickered to it long enough to identify it. "...And I'd rather not use it on its old owner." Liam muttered, and while still shielding Drifter and had a hand on his gun, took a slow step towards the famous Renegade. Shin's body language stiffened a little bit and it made Liam still; the reaction to him had Malphur relaxing a little again. He was now aware that Liam was actively watching him. After what felt like a few hours, Liam was finally standing in front of the man who had passed down his famous gun to him. "...I'll admit, this isn't how I would've like to first meet you." Deklon spoke up, faintly hearing a chuckle escape from Shin. "And I the same. I was hoping you weren't as close to him as you appeared to be."

Even with the helmet he wore, Liam could see Shin's eyes snap from him to the man behind him, his eyes narrowing on the man. "You think he's still with the Shadows, don't you?" Liam had confronted Drifter about this topic a while back, but it honestly doesn't surprise him that Shin would still have the same idea about Drifter; he did still keep in contact with the Shadows of Yor after all. "What, he's told you he's not?" "Yes, he has. At the end of a gun he knows will kill him if I got my shots in." "And you believed him?" "I do. Plus, I'm good at telling when someone's lying; Ahamkara bones or not." Shin's body language shifted again, once more uneasy.

"...You're not here to kill him, are you?" He asked Shin as he turned a little to look at Drifter. "So I was right: you two  _do_ know each other." "Yeah, doesn't mean we like each other's company." "Clearly." Liam deadpanned as he faced Shin again, feeling the puzzled relief radiating from him. "...It's just like I thought; you really were the one Saint-14 predicted would come." Liam lowered his defenses, judging what Shin was gonna do now that he wasn't actively protecting Drifter, and he felt relief wash over him when he didn't suddenly draw a gun, Solar infused or not.

"It would seem so, if my talent of making the impossible possible is anything to go by." "Yes, I know all about that little gift of yours." "You do?" It was honestly a surprise to Liam. He knows that not every Guardian in the universe will come to the Tower after being reborn, and he knows that Shin is one of these Guardians, so for him to know about Liam's...unique ability was a shock. Shin hummed. "I'm just...confused on exactly what your relationship with Drifter is." "We're together." "Like, as a fireteam, partners..?" "Lovers." "...Oh."

Liam honestly didn't know what kind of answer he should have been expecting from a man who's been hunting down Drifter for longer than he's been alive. It also seemed that Drifter wasn't sure what he was expecting Shin to say either, if his cocked brow was anything to go on. "...Brother, you almost sound...disappointed that Liam's taken." Drifter spoke up, taking a hesitant step closer. He wasn't about to get himself killed any faster than he needed to. Shin's shoulders sagged a little at the statement. "Well... I  _had_ been hoping he wasn't too involved with someone, even if it was  **you**." The way he spat that out told Liam that he needs to stay between these two men; it felt like a cat fight was about to happen, and for once he wanted to be in the middle of it.

"How come?" Liam asked, trying to keep Shin talking; it seemed to relax him. "I was...wanting you to come with me." What? "I know what you did for Cayde, and I can take a guess at how important he was to you; devotion like that, the  _willingness_ to do what it took to seek vengeance on the one who took him away from you..." "...I reminded you of yourself, didn't I? Of when you hunted down Dredgen Yor after he took away the person who was important to you?" He respected that wounds like that can take longer to heal than others, and are very sensitive topics no matter how much time has passed; he didn't say the name of the one who was stolen from Shin for his sake. Malphur nodded his head.

Liam took a risk. He reached up slowly and placed his hands on Shin's helmet. Instinctively, Shin's hands flew to Liam's, gripping his wrists painfully tight, but the other Hunter didn't move--he didn't even flinch. "There's no one else here, Shin. And besides, who's really gonna believe me or Drifter that the famous Shin Malphur was in the Tower, let alone what you look like?" He hesitated, which was just astonishing to Drifter; was he really thinking about letting them see his face? That was the thing that kept him hidden in plain sight the best. Drifter knows his voice, armor (or at least one set of armor), and his weapons, but his face? That he didn't know.

"...Okay." Shin didn't want Drifter to know what he looked like--it was the only card he had against the man's hand--but he also didn't want to push Liam into not trusting him (though, given who he calls his allies out in the galaxy, he really shouldn't be as worried as he is). Liam went slow, letting Shin stop him at any point, but the helmet came off.  _Oh, fuck..._ Okay, Liam was NOT expecting Shin to look like this. Short black hair, jade green eyes, a bit of stubble growing on his jaw and around his mouth, which had a nice pair of kissable lips, and softly tanned skin. In short, he was fucking gorgeous. "Shit, didn't expect that." Drifter mumbled, equally as taken back by the reveal.

"...You two think you can play nice for a little bit?" "What?! Liam, what are you suggesting?" Named man turned to Drifter. "That he join us for a bit?" "Are you fuckin' serious?!" Liam let out a long, deep breath. "Look, he's come a long way to meet me, took a fucking chance with us and showed us his face--you know, the thing you didn't know about him, and that let him have the advantage over you?" Drifter pulled his lower lip between his teeth, hating that Liam was right about that last part. "You don't plan to leave me alone with him, do you?" Drifter asked after a long moment of quiet.

Liam shook his head. "Not if I can avoid it." "...Probably wise." Shin spoke up and Drifter glared at him, the back of Liam's hand connecting with his chest a moment after. "Behave." "Why?" "You don't, you can sleep outside my apartment or in your little hallway." Liam threatened and he knew it pissed Drifter off when he threatened to kick him out of the bed for a night; the man doesn't get enough sleep as it was, and being out in the open in anyway didn't help him get to sleep at all, didn't matter if he could close the gate or not. "... _Fine_." "Thank you." Liam's hand found Shin's a moment later and he was guiding him over to the blanket that he and Drifter had been on before he arrived, the duo sitting down together, Drifter joining a minute or so later.

They were quiet, but it was honestly fine; being a Hunter, Liam always enjoyed the silence of wherever he was, just taking in the environment and relaxing. Both he and Drifter turned to look at Malphur when his stomach growled loudly. Much to his surprise, Liam watched as Drifter offered one of the cookies he had made him to Shin; it was like a wordless peace offering, one that Shin took. He took a small bite of it, which already had Liam worried, and just like he was afraid of, as soon as he swallowed, Shin's face screwed up. "What? Are you really--" Drifter was cut off my Liam's fingers coming to rest on his lips, watching as that hand was then moved to press against Shin's forehead. The Renegade froze at the gentle touch as the hunger pains seemed to tear apart his stomach, searching Liam's face for any sign that this was some kind of act; he was extremely annoyed by his thoughts and behavior, but old habits die hard for men like him and Drifter.

"...Give me a few minutes; I'll get us something that's gentle on your stomach, Shin." "No, no; I'll go get it." Drifter countered, but Liam tossed him an annoyed look. "You said you'd play nice." "Yeah, and you said that you wouldn't leave me alone with him!" "I said I wouldn't if I could avoid it; Shin hasn't had proper food for a while now, and needs to eat something that isn't too harsh on his stomach, which those cookies are not." "So? It's his own fault for that!" Well, Shin wasn't gonna say that Drifter was wrong about that. "And? You remember when you felt like he does?" "I do, and it hasn't happened after that!" "Really? Take a bite too." He ordered as he took off a piece of the cookie he had given Shin and Drifter narrowed his eyes on Liam, taking it and eating. And his face twisted in the same way Shin's had.

"'It hasn't happened after that', my ass. And what's your fucking excuse, Drifter? There is _literally_ a ramen shop right outside your little hiding spot!" Liam growled, Drifter's eyes moving off Cayde's ex-fiance to his legs. "...That's what I thought." Liam placed his hand on Shin's, getting his attention. "I'll try to be as quick as I can. You think you can not to kill him while I'm gone?" "...I...I'll try." Liam's soft smile had something sparking in the pit of his stomach, and he knew it wasn't hunger pains. "Okay. I'll be right back." He said as he stood up.

And then stepped off the ledge.

Both men reacted and reached for him, but he was already out of their reach. Of course, they suddenly heard, "SHAXX! INCOMING!" before a loud grunt sounded from below them. "You're just like a Titan to suddenly appear from a ridiculously high place!" "Well how can I help myself? The view's pretty and I have you to get my rezz if I fuck up." Liam responded and they heard Shaxx's unbearably loud laugh. "Traveler, that idiot's loud..." Drifter muttered, leaning back, his hands spread wide behind himself to stay upright. Shin eyed him for a moment, unsure of what to make of his more relaxed body language. "...Listen, I get that you're eager to kill me off," Drifter started, rolling his head to look at his hunter, "but I also get that you don't want to upset Liam. I don't want that either." "...So what? We should suddenly become friends?" "I'm not saying to go to  _that_ much of an extreme, but it would be good for us to learn to trust that neither one of us are going to try and murder the other. It'll take a  **lot** of fucking time and I don't expect it to be easy on either of us, but... I'm willing to try, if you are."

He didn't know what to do with offer, truth be told. Here was one of the men that he's been hunting for YEARS offering him an olive branch; and given the shared person they have in common, Shin admits that it's a very tempting olive branch. "And...what of your friends? You care if I go after them?" "...A couple of them, I  ** _know_** don't follow the old ways, so I'll be pissed if you go after that little handful; the others? Personally, I don't really care." Shin cocked a brow. "Really?" "Really. After all, I'm not their Dredgen; someone else has that title." "...And who's that?" "Well..."

"Oh good, I'm not coming back to dead bodies." Liam's voice barked out, spooking both men out of the moment, Drifter quickly offering his usual smirk. "He did say that he'd try not to kill me." Drifter raised a brow then when he noticed that Liam had come back with a bag in hand. "What's in there?" The Hunter grinned wide as he settled back between the men, ruffling in the bag and pulled out a sealed container that looked like the bowls at the ramen shop that was in the bazaar. "Ramen!" "No way; you can get take out?!" Liam giggled softly as he handed the freshly made bowl of ramen to Drifter, fishing two more out of the bag. "Normally no, but they know that I'm normally shoving something down my throat if I get hungry out in the wilds, so they dug around and found their old take out bowls." He handed one of the bowls to Shin as he explained this, giving him a pair of chopsticks as well.

"It's a very plain order, just broth and noodles. It should be gentle enough on your stomach for you to not have to worry about getting sick afterwards." Shin nodded his head after a moment. "Um...thank you." Liam just smiled to him, running a hand through his hair. "YEH! You've got your own food!" Liam barked as Drifter tried to sneak a bite of his own bowl, the man running Gambit getting his hand smacked. "Ow! I just wanted a bite!" "No, you eat your own food first." Liam scolded and Drifter grumbled something under his breath, but didn't argue any further.

...It was strange to eat with company. In fact, it's been so long that Shin's had a proper meal that he didn't really know how to act. So, as he took his time to savor his food, he watched Liam and Drifter interact; he felt a smile spread his lips despite himself, Drifter being forced to actually pause in shoveling food into his mouth to properly breathe and chew by Liam, the famous Guardian appearing to simply love just sharing a meal with people he cares about. Which was also a strange thought to think on; this is the very first time that he and Liam have met, and he can already tell that Liam cares and worries about him. He appears to be very trusting, but something tells Shin that that's not the reality of his behavior.

"Damn, it's been a while since I've just took a moment to simply  _enjoy_ something." Drifter commented, having finished his meal pretty quick. Liam stilled mid-bite, memories flashing across his face and both of the men he was with got worried. "Everything alright?" "...Yeah. I just...remember how often I used to do this with Cayde..." Doing this in the tower, while sharing Liam's ship as they waited for the next match of Crucible to be set up, out in the field. "He clearly means a lot more to you than I first originally thought," Shin said, getting the others to look at him, "I'm truly sorry for what happened." Liam gave him a flash of a grin, but the warmth on his lips didn't quiet meet his eyes. Drifter's hand rubbed across Liam's shoulders a few times. "You did justice by him in the end, Liam, don't you forget that; I know it's not how you wanted things to go down, but what's done's done." "....Yeah."

The trio just sat on the edge of the catwalk, silence removing the outside world, leaving only them.


End file.
